By Ben Deatherage
LEBANON, Ore. (June 1, 2024) – IMCA Sunoco Stock Cars were back at Willamette Speedway on Saturday for the historical Strawberry Cup, a race the venue has hosted for several decades.
The race kicked off with a bang as Scott Winebarger took the lead on the first lap. Young talent Calista Johnson, applied pressure on the second circuit, almost overtaking the seasoned driver at the line. This thrilling battle continued for several laps, allowing Myke Landis and Sean Gentry to stay within striking distance.
By the eighth lap, Winebarger had established a comfortable lead. Gentry secured the second position from Johnson and set his sights on Winebarger. The 17th and 18th laps saw cautions, setting the stage for a showdown between the two frontrunners.
When the green flag came back out, Winebarger did his best to distance himself from Gentry and all other challengers.
With eight laps to go, Gentry and Kevin Roberts started to get in a good rhythm, but their efforts would be stunted due to another caution. On the restart, Winebarger again was clutch coming out of turn four. Roberts tried to make a run, but Winebarger was able to keep him in check.
Winebarger maintained a slight lead, leaving just enough room for some breathing space, but with razor-thin margins of error.
In the final lap, Winebarger went over the cushion in turn two and hit the wall, setting up a nail-biting race between Roberts and Gentry in the final set of turns.
Gentry made the most of the high side and crossed the wire ahead of Roberts, followed by Donald Schott in third.
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